Real Madrid have informed Liverpool that they intend to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer next summer.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, is close to entering the final six months of his contract with Liverpool and will be allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement with a club from abroad from January 1. Real Madrid are long-term admirers and view the England international as the ideal successor to Dani Carvajal at right-back.
Liverpool still hope to extend Alexander-Arnold's stay, with the defender having been at the club since the age of six. His current contract, alongside team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, expires on June 30.
TalkSPORT claim that Madrid chiefs have now directly told the Liverpool hierarchy that they plan on signing Alexander-Arnold. Although the reigning Spanish and European champions aren't obliged to formally register their interest with Liverpool, they want to be respectful.
Alexander-Arnold watched from the bench as Liverpool beat Real 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, having just returned from an ankle injury. Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is currently without the long-serving Carvajal, as the 32-year-old ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in October.
Real hope that having fellow England star Jude Bellingham in their ranks can help convince Alexander-Arnold to make the move to Spain. Liverpool were heavily linked with signing Bellingham in 2023 before the midfielder decided to join Madrid from Borussia Dortmund.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has remained coy on the situations of Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah throughout the season, but all could change once the January transfer window opens and the players became free to sign pre-agreements with new clubs. Slot said last month: "For me it is not something I am wondering about.
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"If after the last game of this season is played then it might bother me to think, 'are they here or not? But my main focus is now the short-term and I think in football it is mainly about the short-term - especially if you are a manager."
The trio's futures were thrust back into the spotlight after Salah revealed last week that he's yet to be offered a contract. Speaking after scoring a brace in Liverpool's 3-2 win at Southampton, the Egyptian winger told reporters: "We are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club. I'm probably more out than in."
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